As I pen this Check-In column, my last for 2023, it’s hard not to be startled at how fast the year seems to have flown by! Maybe you feel the same?.

Every day and week is a building block to the next, and it’s often only at year-end that we can see the culmination of all we’ve experienced and accomplished. (Our latest GBTA podcast is all about year-end reflections and projections ahead.)

For many, this season is for carving out time for family and friends, for slowing down from work and taking more time to make and enjoy memorable moments. It’s also a time for reflecting on all that’s behind us, while getting ready for what a new year might bring. I hope you have all of that lined up in the next weeks.

In the coming days, we’ll also commemorate a milestone in our industry and what essentially marked the birth of modern travel: the 120th anniversary of the Wright Brothers’ first flight on December 17, 1903. I wonder if the brothers could have ever imagined when they took out their “flying machine” where we’d be today in aviation and travel overall.

Or that they could even consider what’s on the horizon – from electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOLs) to hydrogen-powered jets and ramping up for space tourism. They were truly visionaries whose impact sparked and inspired those who would follow in their footsteps.

As you think about 2024, imagine “what can be” from within our industry and your own role in it. There are many opportunities to get involved and give back, from volunteering for GBTA committees and mentoring, to bringing your experience and expertise to our educational programs. (This Friday is the deadline to submit proposals for GBTA Convention 2024 education sessions.)

And at this time next year, where do you want to be? What will you be most grateful for if your 2024 goes as planned? That is what I think of as I put a bow on my 2023 – recognizing the gratitude I feel for one very important group of people: our GBTA Team.

This team creates and delivers greatness for our constituents and each other − with kindness, precision and commitment, along with customer focus, innovation and creativity. A sincere thanks to each and every one of our team members for making GBTA a thoughtful, respected, and global force within our industry.

And to our members, volunteers, committees, boards and partners – it is only through working together that we can all shine the brightest. Wishing you all peace and joy – and I look forward to seeing you back here in 2024!

Suzanne

The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) is the world’s premier business travel and meetings trade organization headquartered in the Washington, D.C. area serving stakeholders across six continents. GBTA and its 8,000+ members represent and advocate for the $1,357 trillion global business travel and meetings industry. GBTA and the GBTA Foundation deliver world-class education, events, research, advocacy, and media to a growing global network of more than 28,000 travel professionals and 125,000 active contacts. For more information, visit gbta.org.

Our focus is to equip our members with the knowledge and resources necessary to navigate the rapidly changing business travel landscape resulting in improved managed travel programs, top line business growth, and exemplary careers.